A chandelier-like apparatus carrying eight acrobats by hanging them by their hair fell to the ground during a show in Rhode Island, U.S., according to Reuters.

The "hair hanging" accident, which the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is reportedly responsible for, was so traumatic for one of the performers that she still has "nightmares" about the May incident.

Eight performers at the circus show were injured because of the accident while a ninth circus employee on the ground was reportedly struck by the contraption. The clamp, which is called a carabineer, reportedly failed after two rings were attached to its bottom, rather than just one, causing it to have three stress points rather than the two it was designed for, stated the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"While the $7,000 penalty is the maximum allowable by law, we can never put a price on the impact this event had on these workers and their families," said David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

Michaels added, "Employers must take steps to ensure this does not happen again."

Some of the female circus performers who were involved in the hair hanging performance were reportedly unable to walk as of June, and they have collectively gone through dozens of surgeries. Several of the women reportedly hired a lawyer and had stated they were planning to sue the company at the time of the accident.

Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the circus' parent company, reportedly stated that the clip was carrying a lower load than it was rated to hold, according to the Associated Press.

"We do agree that we will change how a carabineer of that nature is loaded. We don't necessarily agree that it was overloaded, because it was rated to hold over 10,000 pounds but was holding only a fraction of that," stated Payne.